Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and garnering multiple Game Awards, maintains its popularity due to its innovative gameplay and high replayability. However, seasoned players might seek ways to refresh their experience. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative, preserving achievements. This guide details how to enable and utilize this cheat menu.
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Enabling Cheats in Balatro
To activate Balatro's debug menu and utilize its built-in cheats, you'll need 7-Zip, a free, open-source archiving tool. Locate your Balatro installation directory (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Balatro). If you can't find it, access your Steam library, right-click Balatro, select "Manage," then "Browse Local Files."
Right-click Balatro.exe and choose to open the archive using 7-Zip (this might be under "Show More Options" depending on your OS and 7-Zip settings). Locate conf.lua and open it with a text editor (like Notepad).
Modify _RELEASE_MODE = true to _RELEASE_MODE = false, then save. If saving fails, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original file. The debug menu will now activate by holding the Tab key in-game. Re-enable the release mode by changing the parameter back to true.
Using the Debug Menu in Balatro
Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock collectibles by hovering and pressing 1; spawn jokers by hovering and pressing 3. Initially limited to five jokers, pressing Q four times on a joker in your hand transforms it into a negative, effectively allowing unlimited jokers.
All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)
| Cheat / Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unlock a Collectible (while hovering) |
| 2 | Discover a Collectible (while hovering) |
| 3 | Spawn a Collectible (while hovering) |
| Q | Change Joker Edition (while hovering in hand) |
| H | Isolate Background |
| J | Play Splash Animation |
| 8 | Toggle Cursor |
| 9 | Toggle All Tooltips |
| $10 | Adds $10 to Total |
| +1 Round | Increases Round by 1 |
| +1 Ante | Increases Ante by 1 |
| +1 Hand | Adds one Hand |
| +1 Discard | Adds one Discard |
| Boss Reroll | Rerolls the Boss |
| Background | Removes Background |
| +10 Chips | Adds 10 Chips |
| +10 Mult | Adds 10 to Multiplier |
| X2 Chips | Doubles Chips |
| X10 Mult | Increases Multiplier by 10 |
| Win this Run | Completes Run |
| Lose this Run | Ends Run |
| Reset | Resets Run |
| Jimbo | Makes Jimbo Appear |
| Jimbo Talk | Displays Jimbo Text Box |
